In the UK, we didn't have a lot of information or lessons about the ANZACs and Gallipoli. If we studied a war we would always learn about the British soldiers, as they were more relevant to us. I always knew what ANZAC day was but until last year, I didn't really know why it was of such significance to Australians or the details of the events in Gallipoli. In the last two years on ANZAC day, my family and I watched the Anzac services on television and this year we watched the film Gallipoli. We also made ANZAC biscuits.
2. Why is ANZAC day significant to you and your family?
ANZAC day is significant to me and my family because we understand that ANZAC day is a day to remember the Australians that served in the war. We remember the ANZACs and feel very grateful that they assisted the allies in the Great War, as the war really began and was worst in Europe and the Western Front. Australia was very far away from here and they showed great bravery fighting a war that wasn't to do with them and assisting other countries. We know of relatives that fought in WW1 and WW2 on my mum's side and we know of relatives that served in WW2 on my dad's side.
Family members who fought in the war:
My Grandfather:
My Grandfather, Peter Lawrence, signed himself up for the navy when he was sixteen in 1940 and was the youngest crew member on a ship called the HMS Prince of Wales. The ship sunk in 1941 near Japan and he was captured by the Japanese and taken to a prisoner of war camp. He was in the camp for five years from 1941-1946 and when he came home he was rushed to hospital weighing only around forty kilograms.
*This photo is of the HMS Prince of Wales, the ship that my grandfather was on*
*The man in the middle is my grandfather, he would have been around 16 years old in this photo*
*This document was from a newspaper from the town where my grandfather was from (Hereford). It was about his family being alerted that he was still alive two years after the boat sank. They probably thought he had died up until this point*
My mum told me that he never talked about the war when she was growing up. When I emailed my Aunt in the UK to ask her for some photos of him, mum said that she had never seen any of these documents or photos. She was never shown by her dad or her mum, which shows this was a very upsetting thing for the family.
My Great Grandfather:
My Mum's grandfather, Samuel Thomas, was born in 1900 and signed himself up for war in 1915. He was turned down on his first attempt, as they knew he was forging his age, but was accepted the next year, when he was 15, almost sixteen years old. He was sent to the western front in France in the trenches. He also had three brothers that served in the war. They would be my Great Uncles Bert, Harry and George. I never met any of these people but my mum told me that towards the end of his life, my Great Grandfather Samuel became quite forgetful and get traumatised by the war. He would have vivid dreams about his life in the trenches and scream that the enemy was coming.
*This photo is of Samuel Thomas and his brothers. Samuel is seated at the front on the left, my Great Uncle George is seated next to him on the right and standing on the left is Bert and on the right is Harry.*
My Great Grandfather:
My Dad's grandfather, Vincent Joyce was Irish. He served in WW2. He was in the air force and his aircraft was shot down over Normandy, France. Luckily, he was picked up by some American troops. He was unconscious at the time, but he was sent to England suffering severe damage to his legs and back. He also developed cardiac conditions from which he never fully recovered. When he was able, he was back into his uniform and continued to serve until the end of the war. His older brother served in the Great War but was not able to serve in WW2 due to severe lung damage from gas in the trenches.
*Waiting on photos*
My Great Grandfather Harold and his Father (my Great Great Grandfather):
*This photo is of my great grandfather, Harold Lawrence. I assumed he fought in the First World War but
the uniform he is wearing suggests otherwise. On the back of the photo, there was written "to Mother and Dad, from Harold" *
*This photo is of Harold's father, so my Great Great Grandfather. Mr J (or possibly I) Lawrence. Again, I'm not sure what uniform he is wearing in this one.*
*This is my Great Great Grandfather, the same one as the last picture. On the back of the photo, it says "taken on Thursday Nov 9th 1910. Aged 47 years" this would have been when Harold was about 13 years old.
What is the Significance of ANZAC day 100 years on?
The national Australian community commemorate ANZAC with dawn services. In SA and NT, they are organised by the RSL. They take place at dawn on 25th April to remember and thank the soldiers that gave their lives in Gallipoli, France and Ypres. ANZAC day stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. There are also dawn services in France and Turkey because they are also places of importance to Australian and New Zealand Military. The reason why the services take place at dawn is because it was the most favoured time to launch an attack on the enemy. Dawn services are an opportunity for the community of a town or city to remember the ANZACs and pay their respects.
Reflection
Before starting this project, I didn’t know an awful lot about the Anzacs, and why we should celebrate Anzac day. Over the last few weeks, I have learnt that Anzac day was one of the first times Australia had been recognised and come together as a nation and found an identity. People like to remember this aspect of Anzac day but they also wish to remember the thousands of young men that fought in Gallipoli and the Western front. People commemorate the soldiers because of the amazing things they did for this nation and how they stood up for their country and fought to end a war. Knowing this, and thinking that Anzac day was an extremely respectful and necessary part of modern life, I have also learnt the other side of the argument, that Anzac day shouldn’t be remembered because it has turned into a commercial opportunity and Australia should be defined by more than just a war. This can be hard to talk about because Anzac day is such a sombre event, however, it was interesting to see the opposing views – neither right nor wrong- to a very serious day to Australians and New Zealanders.
My ANZAC Story - BethB
1. What do you and your family do on ANZAC day?
In the UK, we didn't have a lot of information or lessons about the ANZACs and Gallipoli. If we studied a war we would always learn about the British soldiers, as they were more relevant to us. I always knew what ANZAC day was but until last year, I didn't really know why it was of such significance to Australians or the details of the events in Gallipoli. In the last two years on ANZAC day, my family and I watched the Anzac services on television and this year we watched the film Gallipoli. We also made ANZAC biscuits.
2. Why is ANZAC day significant to you and your family?
ANZAC day is significant to me and my family because we understand that ANZAC day is a day to remember the Australians that served in the war. We remember the ANZACs and feel very grateful that they assisted the allies in the Great War, as the war really began and was worst in Europe and the Western Front. Australia was very far away from here and they showed great bravery fighting a war that wasn't to do with them and assisting other countries. We know of relatives that fought in WW1 and WW2 on my mum's side and we know of relatives that served in WW2 on my dad's side.
Family members who fought in the war:
My Grandfather:
My Grandfather, Peter Lawrence, signed himself up for the navy when he was sixteen in 1940 and was the youngest crew member on a ship called the HMS Prince of Wales. The ship sunk in 1941 near Japan and he was captured by the Japanese and taken to a prisoner of war camp. He was in the camp for five years from 1941-1946 and when he came home he was rushed to hospital weighing only around forty kilograms.
*This photo is of the HMS Prince of Wales, the ship that my grandfather was on*
*The man in the middle is my grandfather, he would have been around 16 years old in this photo*
*This document was from a newspaper from the town where my grandfather was from (Hereford). It was about his family being alerted that he was still alive two years after the boat sank. They probably thought he had died up until this point*
My mum told me that he never talked about the war when she was growing up. When I emailed my Aunt in the UK to ask her for some photos of him, mum said that she had never seen any of these documents or photos. She was never shown by her dad or her mum, which shows this was a very upsetting thing for the family.
My Great Grandfather:
My Mum's grandfather, Samuel Thomas, was born in 1900 and signed himself up for war in 1915. He was turned down on his first attempt, as they knew he was forging his age, but was accepted the next year, when he was 15, almost sixteen years old. He was sent to the western front in France in the trenches. He also had three brothers that served in the war. They would be my Great Uncles Bert, Harry and George. I never met any of these people but my mum told me that towards the end of his life, my Great Grandfather Samuel became quite forgetful and get traumatised by the war. He would have vivid dreams about his life in the trenches and scream that the enemy was coming.
*This photo is of Samuel Thomas and his brothers. Samuel is seated at the front on the left, my Great Uncle George is seated next to him on the right and standing on the left is Bert and on the right is Harry.*
My Great Grandfather:
My Dad's grandfather, Vincent Joyce was Irish. He served in WW2. He was in the air force and his aircraft was shot down over Normandy, France. Luckily, he was picked up by some American troops. He was unconscious at the time, but he was sent to England suffering severe damage to his legs and back. He also developed cardiac conditions from which he never fully recovered. When he was able, he was back into his uniform and continued to serve until the end of the war. His older brother served in the Great War but was not able to serve in WW2 due to severe lung damage from gas in the trenches.
*Waiting on photos*
My Great Grandfather Harold and his Father (my Great Great Grandfather):
*This photo is of my great grandfather, Harold Lawrence. I assumed he fought in the First World War but
the uniform he is wearing suggests otherwise. On the back of the photo, there was written "to Mother and Dad, from Harold" *
*This photo is of Harold's father, so my Great Great Grandfather. Mr J (or possibly I) Lawrence. Again, I'm not sure what uniform he is wearing in this one.*
*This is my Great Great Grandfather, the same one as the last picture. On the back of the photo, it says "taken on Thursday Nov 9th 1910. Aged 47 years" this would have been when Harold was about 13 years old.
What is the Significance of ANZAC day 100 years on?
http://www.slideshare.net/bbeasley711/anzac-day-presentation-48177415
Celebrating ANZAC day as a community:
The national Australian community commemorate ANZAC with dawn services. In SA and NT, they are organised by the RSL. They take place at dawn on 25th April to remember and thank the soldiers that gave their lives in Gallipoli, France and Ypres. ANZAC day stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. There are also dawn services in France and Turkey because they are also places of importance to Australian and New Zealand Military. The reason why the services take place at dawn is because it was the most favoured time to launch an attack on the enemy. Dawn services are an opportunity for the community of a town or city to remember the ANZACs and pay their respects.
Reflection
Before starting this project, I didn’t know an awful lot about the Anzacs, and why we should celebrate Anzac day. Over the last few weeks, I have learnt that Anzac day was one of the first times Australia had been recognised and come together as a nation and found an identity. People like to remember this aspect of Anzac day but they also wish to remember the thousands of young men that fought in Gallipoli and the Western front. People commemorate the soldiers because of the amazing things they did for this nation and how they stood up for their country and fought to end a war. Knowing this, and thinking that Anzac day was an extremely respectful and necessary part of modern life, I have also learnt the other side of the argument, that Anzac day shouldn’t be remembered because it has turned into a commercial opportunity and Australia should be defined by more than just a war. This can be hard to talk about because Anzac day is such a sombre event, however, it was interesting to see the opposing views – neither right nor wrong- to a very serious day to Australians and New Zealanders.
References
Anzac Biscuits (175g) 2015, Photograph, British Shop Abroad, accessed 18 May 2015, <http://www.britishshopabroad.com/products/Anzac-Biscuits-(175g).html>.
Beasley, J 2015, pers. comm., 20 April.
Beasley, J 2015, pers. comm., 20 April.
Carson, M 2015, pers. comm., 1 May.
Destination ANZAC, Gallipoli 2015 2015, Photograph, Gallipoli - 2015.com.au, accessed 18 May 2015, <https://www.gallipoli-2015.com.au/gallipoli/>.
HMS Prince of Wales crew members - JKL n.d., Forcez-survivors.org.uk, accessed 18 May 2015, <http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/powjkl.html>.
Lawrence, A 2015, pers. comm., 25 April.
Lawrence, J 2015, pers. comm., 24 April.
Vbbeertv 2015, Victoria Bitter Raise a Glass Appeal 2015, online video, 26 March, accessed 18 May 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hhrFy2Ucz0>.